Going back to work after having a baby is daunting, particularly for someone who is going into a completely new field. So Debbie Starr was understandably a little apprehensive when she applied for a medicines counter assistant position at City Pharmacy in Portsmouth. But she soon realised that she had found her calling.

Debbie says she was delighted with her success, but more was to come: minutes later at the ceremony, her name was called again, this time as the winner of the SMA Nutrition-sponsored Infant Care Award. Debbie was surprised and delighted, saying: “It is nice to be recognised when you work so hard, and also to know that you are getting it right.”

So what marked Debbie out as exceptional in this latter category? Joanne Taylor, accuracy checking pharmacy technician and Awards judge, was particularly struck by how Debbie drew on her own experiences as a mum to help others “in a professional and courteous manner”, while Pharmacy Complete managing director Deborah Evans was swayed by her proactive approach and ability to pick up on non-verbal communication and then apply her knowledge to best effect.

A great illustration of this is the story Debbie tells of the mum of a six-month-old baby who seemed out of sorts in the pharmacy one day. When approached, the woman said that teething was proving troublesome for her little one, particularly at night, and she was struggling as a result. 

Debbie provided advice on systemic and topical analgesics, and suggested giving the baby something to bite on. The customer was grateful, not only for the information, commenting on how overwhelming she had found it sifting through guidance she had been given by family, friends, baby groups and healthcare professionals, but also for the opportunity to talk without judgement or time constraints.

Debbie is undertaking her dispensary assistant course and is counter lead at City Pharmacy in Portsmouth, overseeing the training of new members of staff. The pharmacy is quite the hotbed of success, and Debbie is grateful to colleague and 2015 Spotlight winner Annie Clarke who has trained her, and encouraged her to enter the 2017 Recognition of Excellence Awards, saying: “She has always pushed me to be the best, and now I am doing the same for others. I have definitely found my niche.”